RAMALLAH, March 7, 2009, (WAFA)- The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who had submitted his resignation, to remain in his post until “we see the results of the national dialogue in the near future.”
The President said at the beginning of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee that, “Prime Minister Fayyad has submitted his resignation, to usher the Palestinian dialogue and to support it, and to push the Palestinian dialogue forward to form a government and to enable the five committees to do their job.”
He added that the, “we appreciate this government’s efforts, over twenty months of hard work on the economic, social and security levels… such enormous efforts were recognized by the whole world.”
Fayyad has submitted his Government's resignation to President Abbas, earlier today. A press release issued by his office said that, “the resignation will take effect immediately upon formation of the National Consensus Government,” no later than the end of March.
According to the letter of resignation, the Government has made every effort to rescue Palestine from economic deterioration and the status of security chaos, which reached its highest levels in June, 2007. The Government has also done all that it could to rebuild the institutions of the Palestinian National Authority to enable it to respond to its citizens' needs, to reinforce its citizens' ability to persevere, and to defend their land and their existence.
Fayyad, on his side, affirmed that this step is intended to support the efforts aimed at forming a national consensus government and is consistent with his calls regarding the need to form such a government that restores unity to the Palestinian people.
In respect of the tasks assigned to the Dialogue Committees, which are to accomplish their missions by the end of March, in line with the statement issued after the first round of dialogue held in Cairo on February 25, 2009, Fayyad stated that the priority is to expedite agreement on the formation of a national consensus government. The new government should be capable of immediately restoring unity to the homeland, thereby enabling reunification of PNA institutions and protecting the Palestinian democratic system by preparing for presidential and legislative elections, to be conducted simultaneously no later than January 2010.
'We believe that the positive atmosphere embodied by the first round of the Dialogue is a precious opportunity that should be utilized to terminate the current state of fragmentation. The Dialogue should serve as a solid foundation to achieve unity and reconciliation, which we have long asserted,' Fayyad stated.
